The only downfall is that the 360 magnum motor is not a very powerful motor but the plus is that it's easy to wire in

It's more powerful by far than a POS carbureted 305.

A friend has a 2000 Dodge Ram extra cab 4x4 with a 5.2L, and while it's no rocket, it moves that truck fairly well, and that truck probably weighs a good 1500-2000 more pounds than a Wrangler...and again he has the 5.2L not a 5.9. Either would move a Wrangler with ease. And like mentioned before, torque is king here, not horse power unless you're concerned with maximum top speed only.

OP.... what you need yo do is STOP. Start your project by reading up on other peoples build threads and make an attempt to fully understand what is involved in a motor conversion. What you are doing right now is diving in without any final decision on what exactly it is that you want. This usually results in a project that never gets done or if it is eventually done, its a mess that won't come close to running and functioning correctly.
So stop and ask yourself some important questions...
1. Do you have the mechanical skills, tools, time and funds to do this?

2. Make a final decision on what motor you want.

3. Have you started your research and am completely familiar with what needs to be done.

4. Are you SURE that the axles etc., are up to the extra power..(if you still have a Dana 35, then the answer is "No"...)

Answer these to start with and you'll get better input on the forums..actually ..most of the replies have been spot on.....

'98 TJ, 5.7 HEMI, To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Do it once and do it right has always been my proponent. It seems to me that you have very little skill with modern vehicles(1980's - Current) and am stuck in a mindset that's 30+ years old. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but doing a swap on a more "current" vehicle is a lot more detailed than you think.

Like others have said, STOP and do your research, LOTS of it. We all started out knowing absolutely nothing at some point in time, and over the years we've all learned various things and life, automobiles, and jeeps. If you think it's as simple as removing the old engine and putting in a different one(regardless of motor) with a few adapter plates, than you're going to have a VERY difficult time with this project and getting it out on the street/trail.

A motor swap can consist of an investment of thousands of dollars to be done once and done right. Your best bet may very well be selling your TJ and either getting one with a 4.0, or getting a CJ/YJ if you are that convinced fuel injection is something you don't want to deal with.

"Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway" - John Wayne

The 5.3 4l60e combination is great in a tj. The thing you should realize is it will need a return fuel line run, a fuel pressure regulator bypass. Which is about $200. from novak. An expensive engine to transmission adapter. The pcm will need flashed to remove vats. Thats about $200-250. plus the gm pcm won't run the jeep gages, so you either need to run both the gm pcm and the jeep pcm piggybacked, or buy all new electronic gages.

Don't get me wrong, I like the gm ls motors a lot, but the cost and time to swap one in to a jeep is far more than doing a magnum v8 swap.

Take it from someone who has built many carbureted v8's ranging from stock 350's to a 628 hp 472 bbf. I would never go back to a carburetor.

I don't have the knowledge or money to do a fuel injected swap. I'm going with a carb 350 and buying a new carburetor for it. If I get bad gas mileage and have to fool with a carb in the winter, on steep hills and all that then so be it. I'll tune the carb well and deal with the rest. Thanks everyone for the input.

I don't have the knowledge or money to do a fuel injected swap. I'm going with a carb 350 and buying a new carburetor for it. If I get bad gas mileage and have to fool with a carb in the winter, on steep hills and all that then so be it. I'll tune the carb well and deal with the rest. Thanks everyone for the input.

Post back when you're done...we'll be watching for a re-cap of this one...

'98 TJ, 5.7 HEMI, To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Carb is definitely not the way to go. Plus you are going to have a fun time with all the gauges and such. I'd do the 318 or 360 like everyone is recommending if you want to keep it easy. I feel that if you have to ask about a carb though, you need a lot more experience before attempting an engine swap.

If you change your mind and decide to go with a 318, I know where there is a complete 318 Grand Cherokee in PA that the owner would let go at a very reasonable price.

I don't have the knowledge or money to do a fuel injected swap. I'm going with a carb 350 and buying a new carburetor for it. If I get bad gas mileage and have to fool with a carb in the winter, on steep hills and all that then so be it. I'll tune the carb well and deal with the rest. Thanks everyone for the input.

You will spend more time and money on the carbureted motor with a lesser result in the end. What was the point of this thread if you already knew you were going this route anyway. You got good advice in this thread from lots of people. It's a shame you aren't taking it.

You will spend more time and money on the carbureted motor with a lesser result in the end. What was the point of this thread if you already knew you were going this route anyway. You got good advice in this thread from lots of people. It's a shame you aren't taking it.

That happens a lot on forums. People ask about something, really just looking for responses of "That's an excellent idea" and when they get the opposite, they ultimately continue to do what they originally were going to do. Then typically, you'll see them again later down the road complaining about what they did, and ask again how to do it right. Or they never finish it at all, and they sell the whole mess for a big loss.